


where our fumbling promises and secrets began

by bubblyying



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: BIGHIT WHY, Choi Yeonjun-Centric, Fluff, Gen, Soft Choi Yeonjun, Soft Kang Taehyun, based off the eternally mv, platonic taejun, taejun stepbrothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24981400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblyying/pseuds/bubblyying
Summary: Yeonjun will do whatever it takes to make sure his new step-brother feels loved and safe.(My attempt at healing from the Eternally MV…… BH why would you make taejun angsty??)
Relationships: Choi Yeonjun & Kang Taehyun
Comments: 7
Kudos: 82





	where our fumbling promises and secrets began

Yeonjun met Taehyun when he was 10 and Taehyun was 7.

He was dragged, grumbling and sulking, by his father away from his cartoons and out to lunch. As he got into the backseat of the car, he stared confusedly at the bouquet of flowers that sat at the other end of the car.

“Where are we going, appa?” He wondered, his grumpy feelings fading off into a look of confusion.

His father turned towards him from where he was sitting in the driver’s seat. Yeonjun noticed that his stern gaze had softened, and he looked…. nervous. An expression that Yeonjun had rarely seen from his father.

“Yeonjun-ah…” his father hesitated, a hand still firm on the steering wheel. “I want you to meet someone very special to me, who I’ve been seeing for a year. She has a son who’s 3 years younger than you; I think you two will get along well.”

Yeonjun blinked owlishly. He is silent as he settles in his seat, still trying to process his father’s words. Seeing the lack of response from his son, his father smiles sadly and turns around, starting the engine of the car.

“I…. I will be frank with you, Yeonjun dear. I love her a lot. If you like her, she could potentially become your new eomeoni.”

The relationship between Yeonjun’s parents had never been great. It was when Yeonjun was 8 that his father found out that his ex-wife had been cheating on him for years with a colleague. She often neglected Yeonjun’s needs when the two of them were home alone, yelling irrationally every time Yeonjun made a minor mistake and ignoring him whenever he wanted to talk to her. Yeonjun was never brave enough to tell his father about what was going on at home, until his father found out about the affair. And then one by one, the dominoes kept falling, and the divorce papers were signed. Yeonjun’s mother put up a good fight, but seeing how Yeonjun refused to pretend to be affectionate with his mother in public and stuck to his father’s side throughout the proceedings, his father eventually gained full custody.

It had been about 2 years since the divorce.

Yeonjun was rather introspective for his age. He knew that his father was looking into dating again, but somehow he never expected that he would actually find someone so soon. That being said, he was still curious to figure out who this mysterious woman was. He was so deep in his thoughts that he did not notice that they were already pulling into the parking lot near an Italian restaurant.

Yeonjun’s father got out of the car and opened the door for Yeonjun to leave as well. Yeonjun watched as his father reached into the backseat to pull out the flower bouquet, finally closing the car door and locking it. He smiled again as he held the bouquet in one hand, offering his right hand towards Yeonjun. Yeonjun took it and they made their way towards the restaurant.

As they approached, Yeonjun spotted a beautiful lady sat on the bench placed outside the restaurant, whispering to a smaller boy who was swinging his legs and giggling, swaying from side to side. The boy was adorned in a multicoloured long-sleeved shirt and overalls, a huge black and white snapback on his head. Yeonjun felt himself smile a little at the adorable boy. No one else was around, and his father was pulling him towards them, which meant….

They came to a stop in front of the lady and her son. The lady looked up, and broke out into a smile upon seeing Yeonjun’s father.

“Yu-seok!”

She stood up, pulling the little boy beside her to stand up as well. Yeonjun looked as his father beamed, leaning in to plant a kiss on the lady’s cheek and offering her the bouquet, which she happily accepted.

“Hyerin,” Yeonjun’s father said cheerily, “glad we could make it.”

As they chatted, Yeonjun felt his eyes wander towards the little boy, and found the boy staring back at him. His facial features were prominent and stood out - his eyes were big and curious, his nose and mouth seemed big on his small face. Yeonjun had never seen a boy who was that good-looking when he was Taehyun’s age, and he was intrigued.

“Oh right, Hyerin,” Yu-seok smiled as he tugged onto Yeonjun’s hand, momentarily pulling his son’s attention back to the conversation. “Where are my manners? Hye-rin dear, this is Yeonjun.” He pulled Yeonjun close to him, and Yeonjun bowed politely.

“Nice to meet you, Yeonjun!” Hyerin smiled as she leant down to pat him on the shoulder. “This here is Taehyun! Taehyun, say hi?” she turned to look at her son, who looked back at her, then ran to hide behind her legs, his eyes still looking curiously at Yeonjun.

“Oh, Taehyunnie…” Hyerin flushed, her hand reaching back to pat Taehyun on the head. Taehyun was now fully hidden behind his mother’s leg, with a tiny hand gripping tightly onto her skirt. “Sorry Yeonjun, he’s just a little shy.”

Yu-seok chuckled. “Don’t worry, Hyerin. Let’s just head into the restaurant, maybe they just need to warm up a little first.”

Hyerin nodded and the four entered the restaurant.

* * *

Hyerin was a gentle lady who was an amazing conversationalist, and while the two adults were the ones carrying the conversation, she never failed to try to include Yeonjun or Taehyun and nudge them to talk about their own interests. It seemed as if Yeonjun’s father had told her about Yeonjun’s dream to become a cartoonist and his love for dancing, and she fully used that knowledge to her advantage, prompting Yeonjun into discussing his own passions. Nearing the end of the meal, Yeonjun noted to himself how much he was smiling and enjoying the time spent in the restaurant.

Taehyun had finished his food a lot more quickly than the other 3, and requested politely to play in the playground next to the restaurant, which Hyerin agreed to, since she was still able to keep an eye on him from her seat that was facing the glass window. As Yeonjun was about to finish his own meal, Yu-seok suggested, “Yeonjunie, do you want to go out to the playground as well? Get to know Taehyunnie?”

Yeonjun beamed and nodded, suddenly scarfing down his food, much to the amusement of the two adults. He jumped down from his chair and skipped out of the restaurant.

He found Taehyun sitting on the swings, staring into space. He walked cautiously towards the younger boy and gestured towards the empty swing beside him. “Is this seat taken?” He smiled.

Taehyun looked up at him, startled. His cheeks turned pink and he nodded shyly.

Yeonjun sat on the swing, and a wave of silence enveloped the duo. Yeonjun hummed, looking down at his swinging legs.

He had a burning question that he could not hold back.

“Y-You want to be my friend?” He heard Taehyun whisper in response, almost with disbelief. Yeonjun frowned.

“I-Is that a bad thing?”

“No!” Taehyun suddenly burst out in response. He locked eyes with Yeonjun and got slightly flustered. “I-I… It’s just that… no one wants to be my friend. Everyone thinks I’m weird because I do well in tests and I read a lot.”

Yeonjun’s heart broke as he heard the resignation in Taehyun’s voice. How could such a sweet and gentle boy be called weird by others? He stood up and walked so he stopped in front of Taehyun, then he kneeled down so that their eyes met.

“I don’t think you’re weird, Taehyun.”

“Really?”

Yeonjun nodded, smiling reassuringly as he patted Taehyun’s head. The bright smile that the younger boy gave in response was worth it.

“O-okay, Yeonjun-ssi. I would like you to be my friend.”

Yeonjun beamed and jumped around in joy. He heard Taehyun’s little giggles follow his movements.

“Yay! Let’s go play on the slides!” He straightened himself up and held out his hand, grinning wider as Taehyun took it with new-found confidence.

They played until their respective parents came to pick them up, both smiling as how much their two boys were giggling. As they waved goodbye to Hyerin and Taehyun, Yu-seok took Yeonjun’s hand again and they walked back to the car. Yu-seok, noticing how Yeonjun moved with a skip in his step, asked, “Yeonjunie, what do you think about Hyerin and Taehyunnie?”

“I like them, Appa. They’re very nice. I wanna see them again. And Taehyunnie is now my friend!”

Yu-seok smiled and patted Yeonjun’s head, relief in his eyes.

* * *

As time passed, Yeonjun and Taehyun grew closer, becoming very good friends. So did their parents - but in a less platonic way.

Taehyun still called him Yeonjun-ssi, even after countless times of Yeonjun telling him to just call him hyung. Initially, he was impatient; even as he never expressed it out loud to Taehyun, Yu-seok had one day coerced the truth out of him, after the 5th month of Yeonjun hearing “Yeonjun-ssi”. He then explained to a slightly teary Yeonjun that Taehyun’s parents had also separated, but that his older brother had gone with his father, separating the duo. It did explain why Taehyun was so hesitant to call another person ‘hyung’. After that revelation, Yeonjun had resolved to leave this situation behind. As long as Taehyun carried that smile on his face every time they hung out, Yeonjun realized he was okay with whatever Taehyun was comfortable in calling him. But part of him still yearned to be called hyung.

When Yu-seok and Hyerin finally announced their engagement, Yeonjun jumped up with them and cheered. Taehyun was more subdued, but he was smiling to himself too, reaching up to hug his mother.

“Does that mean that Taehyunnie and I are going to be brothers?” Yeonjun asked excitedly.

Hyerin smiled and patted Yeonjun on the head. “Of course, Yeonjunie. If Taehyun is comfortable, of course.”

Taehyun nodded, but said nothing else.

For once, Yeonjun decided he would still wait. After all, Taehyun was worth it.

* * *

A few months had passed since the announcement of their parents’ engagement. During that time, Hyerin and Taehyun had ended up moving into Yu-seok’s house, and it allowed Yeonjun and Taehyun to grow so close to each other that they became attached at the hip. Everything Yeonjun did, Taehyun would follow, doe-eyed and eager to be together with him.

Yeonjun and his father had the tradition of visiting Gyeonggi-do every spring to visit the flower festival. It was a tradition that they started ever since Yeonjun was a baby, but even after his mother left them, Yu-seok was determined to continue the tradition without her, so that Yeonjun would not end up associating the festival to his mother’s presence. This year, however, Hyerin and Taehyun joined their entourage.

Yeonjun’s smile never faded as he took his future brother’s hand and led him around on the paths that he was familiar with. Taehyun looked around with curious expressive eyes, gasping at the beauty that surrounded them and listening intently to the tour guide explaining the symbolism of the different flowers. However, Yeonjun was only half-listening, as he had been hearing them for years and had them memorised at this point.

He stopped in his tracks as Taehyun tugged at his hand. As he turned to look at the younger boy, he noticed that Taehyun looked nervous, shifting on the spot while his free hand was hidden behind him.

“What’s wrong, Taehyunnie?” Yeonjun asked, worried.

Taehyun hesitated, looking up into Yeonjun’s eyes. After what seemed like eternity, he smiled shyly and revealed what he was holding in his hand.

A purple pansy. (There were many other flowers scattered on the ground, possibly from falling off the many plants in the area - so perhaps Taehyun might have picked it up from there too.)

“Hyungie... for you.”

_“Pansies,” the tour guide gestured, “they are symbols of remembrance and nostalgia. It can also signify the love and admiration for another person, and is best used as a symbol of platonic love.”_

Yeonjun felt himself choke up. The very name that he had always wanted to be called, finally spilling out of the very person that he wanted to say that to him the most.

Blinking back the tears that were forming in his eyes, he bent down until he was level with Taehyun, looking at him directly in the eyes.

“For me, Taehyun?” he confirmed.

Taehyun nodded shyly, brandishing the pansy flower out again.

“I love you, hyungie. Hyungie always takes care of me and you’ve never given up on me no matter what. You’ve waited for months for me to be comfortable enough with you and I just..... I wan’ hyungie to be with me forever and ever as my brother.”

This time Yeonjun could not stop the stray tears from rolling down his cheeks. He gingerly took the flower from Taehyun’s trembling fingers, then gently pulled him into a hug, rubbing circles into Taehyun’s back. He felt Taehyun make little fists in the fabric of Yeonjun’s shirt, pulling him impossibly closer.

“Taehyunnie, I promise I will be with you for as long as we can be together, okay? Hyungie will protect you as much as I can.”

He pulled apart to see Taehyun’s eyes sparkling with joy. Yeonjun could not help but press a single kiss to Taehyun’s forehead, ruffling his hair affectionately.

“Forever?” the smaller boy asked.

“Of course, Taehyunnie. Brothers forever.”

**Author's Note:**

> The tears are still fresh….  
> So this drabble can actually be considered to be a prequel to/in the same universe as a taegyu fic that I’m working on, where taejun are step-brothers in that story as well! I dropped that fic temporarily to work on this because the MV tore at my heartstrings…. especially at the taejun scene ): It’s abit rushed and un-beta’d so apologies for any continuity errors.  
> Since we're into soft hours: A little message for readers of my works, new or frequent: thank you so much <3 I know i’m not always active on ao3 but I appreciate every comment, every kudos and bookmark that you guys contribute to my stories! I’m trying my best to be more active on ao3 so i can thank you guys for all your kind words. Take care everyone, TXT loves you <3
> 
> (EDIT: the taegyu fic is _maybe it's the providence of this universe_ , in case you were curious!)
> 
> Twitter: @/tataekvng


End file.
